


My Chemical Romance

by houseofbees



Category: Ultimate Spider-Man (Cartoon 2012)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, i tried to be cute that's all i can say, i wrote this at 3 am, what is this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24080893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/houseofbees/pseuds/houseofbees
Summary: Peter decides that actually tutoring Harry for once is a good idea. Except they're both gay and nothing actually gets done.
Relationships: Harry Osborn/Peter Parker
Comments: 11
Kudos: 130





	My Chemical Romance

See, Harry wasn’t exactly sure how this got started.

Peter had this thought—a tiny inkling, a little seed of an idea—to actually tutor Harry instead of getting five minutes into a study session before Peter had to run off and play superhero, while Harry made up some excuse about Peter forgetting something at school. It was a damn miracle Norman hadn’t gotten suspicious yet.

And Peter’s idea, having Harry do science with Peter, was admittedly a pretty solid way of learning. And Harry always had to have something for his hands to fiddle with during class, so what better to do than actual experiments?

So, here they were. In the Oscorp labs, at the dead of night, conducting an experiment Peter had swore up and down he thought would only take five minutes.

Harry rubbed his eyes, feeling his eighth yawn of the minute coming on. Peter continued to be relatively unbothered—hanging upside down from a web with downright explosive chemicals in his hands. It goes against every safety etiquette their teachers had taught them. Well, he thinks. Look, there's a reason he needs a tutor, okay?

"Pete."

Peter didn't answer, muttering the lyrics to some song— _was that fucking All Star?—_ as he continued spinning in a circle.

"Peter."

Still no reply.

Harry gave a sigh—that was promptly interrupted by _another_ yawn, christ—and turned to the equipment in front of him. Well, there was one sure-fire way to get Peter's attention. Harry wasn't quite sure what this pressure chamber was for, exactly, but maybe if he tweaked the knobs a bit...

Peter yelled out some kind of warning and his hand was suddenly on Harry's wrist, faster than he could even see. Harry jumped, watching as Peter dragged his hands away from the chamber and placed them back at his side.

"What the hell? What the hell." Peter ran a hand through his hair. "I look away for five seconds..."

Harry stifled a laugh.

"Sorry. Had to get your attention somehow."

Peter sighed— "No, no, it's fine—" before dropping from his web, feet hitting the floor with a soft thud. His back stretched into a wide arc that had Harry wincing and wondering where in the world his bones went, and every single joint in Peter's body popped in unison.

And, honestly, when he wasn't hanging upside down and listening to fucking All Star, and instead actually paying attention to Harry, Peter looked pretty damn cute. Standing there, in a wrinkled lab coat, with goggles that had to be outright attached to his face at this point. The professional look contrasted starkly with his ruffled hair and the Strawberry Shortcake t-shirt he had on.

Even more than that, though, was the thin line of red outlining the spot where Peter's skin met the plastic, combined with the looseness and relaxation in his posture which Harry hadn't seen for quite a while.

Peter gave a crooked smile as he patted Harry's shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Harry." Peter leaned over the table, sorting through an array of tools Harry couldn't even begin to identify—let alone figure out what they were meant for. "It's no biggie. Besides, I've finished separating these two chemicals, so all that's left is to combine them with the other solutions and create the chemical compounds to—" Peter's mouth snapped shut and he turned back to look at Harry. "Sorry, I'm boring you, aren't I? We can skip the nitty-gritty if you want—"

"No, no!" Harry held his hands out, back straightening. "No, no, you're not boring me at all. This is—I mean, I don't understand what you're saying, but..." Harry took a deep breath and gave a heartfelt shrug. "I like hearing you talk."

"Oh." Peter clasped his hands together.

"Yeah." Harry nodded, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Yeah, man, you're in the clear."

A visible wave of relief swept over Peter, and a small smile appeared on his face. And, god, suddenly staying up till ass o'clock at night was worth it. Just for that. Just for him.

"Oh, okay." Peter gave a small nod, straightening up. "Okay, well, in that case, what do you wanna talk about?"

Harry looked around the room, furrowing his brows. "Hmm... whatever you wanna talk about, man. I mean, if you wanna talk about science or talk about, I dunno, relationships, either one is fine with me."

"That seems a _bit_ too random to have come out of nowhere." Peter bopped him on the shoulder. "Romance bogging you down?"

Harry took a good look at Peter. His lab coat draped over him perfectly, highlighting the broadness of his shoulders and the unfairly toned muscles of his arms. And, in all honesty, Peter looked better in that coat than any human had the right to.

"More than you'd think, actually," Harry said, leaning back against the counter.

"Ooh, I see. What's her name?"

"His name. And, uh, it's kind of complicated."

"His _name_ is complicated?" Peter asked, flashing a toothy grin. Harry chuckled, shaking his head.

"Yeah, kinda."

Peter considered this for a moment. "Fair enough. But what specifically is getting you down?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, a lot of things, I think. It's a long story."

"I'm all ears."

"Well, for starters, he's straight. Probably. I mean, he _exudes_ bisexual energy, but he's never outright said he likes guys. And, besides that, he's totally unattainable. Way out of my league." Peter started to protest at that, but Harry continued on, "And I think my dad would kill me if I started dating a guy. Like, he's been trying to be better and all but he's... he's very attached to the idea of legacy, and if his sole heir not only liked guys, but _only_ liked guys?" Harry gave a weak laugh. "How's the Osborn bloodline supposed to continue on?"

"I'm gonna kick your dad's ass. I swear it."

"You have already, Pete. Multiple times."

"I'll do it again," Peter scowled, crossing his arms. "What kind of dad doesn't accept his son for being gay? I mean, it's not like you murdered someone."

"Precisely! I mean, I can sort of understand where he's coming from. Sort of. It's, like, everyone's gonna hate me because I'm gay when there are much more, much better reasons to hate me."

"There _is_ no reason to hate you." Peter shook his head. "You're the most likable person in existence. Wait, hold on, you didn't actually murder someone, did you?"

“I didn’t, I didn’t.” Harry scratched his head. “But there are plenty of reasons to hate me.”

A pause.

“Like what?” Peter asked, staring right at him. And, god, it was almost unsettling. Peter’s eyes were blocked out again, by his goggles, and it reminded Harry of how he looked in his mask. A near unreadable expression. And juxtapose that with the harsh white of the labs, and you had a recipe for the heebie-jeebies. Did anyone even say heebie-jeebies anymore?

Harry realized he had been asked a question, and gave a vague shrug. “I mean, I get jealous way too easily. Remember when the Ultimates showed up at school and I acted like a total jerkface?”

“You were a highschooler,” Peter said. “Nobody expected you to act like an adult.”

“Sure. But it wasn’t their fault they were there. I acted like they were stealing you from me or something,” Harry ducked his head as heat rose to his cheeks, “and I’m sorry if I hurt any of you because of that.”

Peter leaned forward. “Hey, you didn’t hurt any of us. I promise.”

“I sure messed everything up, though.” Harry gave a bitter laugh. “I was the reason Venom caused so much trouble. I don’t know what would’ve happened otherwise, but with so many people around, I gave it the perfect chance to spread.” Harry carded his fingers through his hair.

“Harry,” Peter said, grabbing Harry by the shoulders. “That wasn’t your fault. Seriously, the symbiote was— it was going absolutely wild, and if you had been all alone at Oscorp when it attacked…” Peter visibly swallowed. “Where would I have been to stop it?”

Harry swallowed thickly. All the words on his tongue dissipated, leaving his mouth dry and empty, and Harry just gave a small grunt. Peter tilted his head.

“Harry…”

“It’s kind of hard to take you seriously with those goggles on,” Harry blurted.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Peter pulled off his goggles and set them on the counter. Hiding beneath the plastic ran a series of deep, red lines across Peter’s face. And Peter’s eyes themselves were bagged and tired, and Harry couldn’t say he blamed him.

“Well, here I am.” Peter smiled, rubbing his eyes. “Sorry, I probably look like a mess.”

“You look fine.” Harry swallowed back the beat of his heart, feeling like he could be the protagonist of some Y/A novel. “Great, even.”

“You’re just saying that to be nice.”

“What, you think I wouldn’t jump at the chance to call you a half-eaten boiled hotdog?”

A laugh burst from Peter’s lips and he slapped a hand to his mouth.

“There’s an insult you don’t hear every day.”

Harry shrugged. “I’m sure someone’s already said it.”

“Yeah, but _you_ haven’t said it.” Peter looked up at the ceiling wistfully, as if pondering the meaning of existence itself. “How can such a handsome face spit such mean words?”

Harry laughed, closing his eyes. His heart fluttered at Peter’s words and he was having a hard time—a _very_ hard time, in fact—to not swoon. He was Harry Osborn, and he wasn’t gonna swoon over his friend being melodramatic.

“Hey, you’re handsomer than I am,” Harry said.

“Lies, lies and slander.” Peter poked him in the cheek. “Have you ever looked in a mirror? I wouldn’t be surprised if the entirety of Midtown is in love with you.”

“The entirety?”

“Every single one. Hell, everyone who’s ever _gone_ to Midtown.” Peter gave a dramatic sigh, turning away. “You’re just too handsome, heartbreaker.”

“Everybody,” Harry repeated.

“Yeah."

“Even you?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” Harry blinked, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Me, too.”

“What?”

“I mean,” Harry waved his hands, “I’m in love with you. Too.”

“Oh.” Peter smiled, a pretty pink blush spreading over his cheeks. “Oh. Cool.”

For a moment, they both fell silent. Harry had taken to studying the cracks in the floor, while Peter shifted his weight from side to side. The only sounds were their own breathing, the tick of a clock, and the whirring of whatever went on inside Oscorp’s walls. Harry somehow relaxed and tensed at the same time, his mind replaying Peter’s words over and over like a broken record.

“Hey, Harry?”

Harry looked up, meeting Peter’s eyes. The exhaustion pervading through them had dissipated and been replaced with a newfound spark.

“What’s up?”

“I am. Bisexual, I mean.” Peter looked to the side, shoulders falling in a way Harry couldn’t tell between slouching and relaxing. “And I’ll still kick your dad’s ass.”

“Oh.” Harry paused. “ _Oh._ ”

“Yeah.” Peter stepped forward, reaching for Harry’s hand, but pausing just before he made contact. Harry grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. Peter smiled, letting their arms fall between them.

“Hey.”

“Hey to yourself.”

Harry took a deep breath. “Do you wanna be my boyfriend?”

“Please.” Peter pressed a hand to his chest.

Harry smiled. “Nice.”

“Nice,” Peter echoed.

Before they could continue, Peter’s phone buzzed with an alarm. As soon as it started, a familiar tune rang out in the lab. Harry froze.

_Somebody once told me—_

“I’m breaking up with you,” Harry said. Peter laughed, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

“Sure. I’ll be waiting for you to return, though. Even you cannot resist my charm,” he said, framing his face with his hands.

Harry punched Peter’s shoulder before leaning against it. Peter wrapped his arm around Harry, carding his fingers through his hair. Harry leaned into his touch, giving a content sigh. A fuzzy feeling overtook his chest, and he smiled to himself.

Peter Parker was his boyfriend. How about that.

**Author's Note:**

> look. i thought of the title and i couldn't resist okay  
> and i did actually write this at 3 am. with all star playing in the background. so that's why it's Like That. i hope you enjoyed this absolute ball of vague fluff


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